


you're bound to see my other side

by blafard



Series: and they were roommates [3]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: ???? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Artists, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Roommates, artist!simon, but thatll happen next part i think..., honestly at this point they should just kiss, lit student!Baz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 18:09:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19873882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blafard/pseuds/blafard
Summary: "You're a heathen.""I'm not!""Who puts waffle into a milkshake?"





	you're bound to see my other side

**Author's Note:**

> title from "don't let me be misunderstood" by lana del rey 
> 
> I'd really recommend reading the part before this! bc some stuff wouldn't make sense.

The thing was, Simon _knew_ that Baz looked great. Simon had eyes and it was undeniable really. Baz had a certain aloofness to him that made him more alluring. He had dark hair, was tall and had beautiful grey eyes that looked at everyone with disinterest.

He literally was the embodiment of _tall, dark and handsome._

And that’s what drew people closer, even though Baz was clearly not interested in any of their advances.

Simon had to watch girls, boys and non-binary pals get rejected left and right in the time they’ve shared space now.

But he also couldn’t deny that there wasn’t a certain relief, whenever Baz told someone to fuck off again.

He tried to convince himself, that he wouldn’t be able to be in his room as much, when Baz had a partner that he’d no doubt want to spend a lot of time together.

(Convincing himself of that got harder and harder over the weeks though, so he tried not to think about it at all in typical Simon fashion.)

Sitting in front of the boy in question now, certainly made it a lot harder to keep his thoughts from wandering to places he tried not to think about.

His sketchbook laid open in his lap, sharp pencils were organized into neat rows in front of him and Baz Pitch looked bored from his perch on his own bed, a black sweater clinging to his slim body and a small frown on his features, Simon was sure was permanent at this point.

"If I'd known that I would have to sit around all day, I would have grabbed a book or something, Snow," he complained for the third time.

"I thought you were supposed to be the _smart_ one between us two. Being a model requires to sit around a lot, so get used to it," Simon replied, his voice rather distracted, as he put some more lines onto the paper.

Baz huffed at that, ran his long fingers through glossy black hair and then straightened up again, at the glare Simon gave him.

"No need to get all snappy," he murmured and then stared straight ahead.

"I'm just trying to get natural poses down for now... as a warm-up," Simon began, then caught his lower lip between his teeth and looked up at the other boy for a few seconds. His eyes trailed over the features of Baz, the ones he had already drawn so many times without being truly aware of it. "Later, I will move you to my liking," he added at last and almost missed the way Baz's eyes widened when he heard the words.

He chose not to comment for now.

Soon after, he had two new pages filled with all sorts of details of Baz. Never an entire sketch though. He had drawn his eyes first. Pale orbs that looked right through everyone around him, with thick dark eyebrows above, delicate lashes framing the grey in a stark contrast between dark and bright.

Then he had drawn his hands. Long fingers with neat nails, soft skin without any scars unlike Simon's own.

He wondered how they would feel. Would they feel as soft as they looked? Or would Baz have such a strong grip, that you wouldn't be able to see any kind of softness?

He had also drawn his dark hair. Black strands against a white face without features for now. He had tried to get them right, but there was a certain bounce and shine to them Simon hadn't gotten right.

"You don't look pleased," interuppted Baz's voice Simon's musings. He looked disinterested in the way he glanced at his nails, before meeting Simon's gaze again.

Simon nodded anyway.

"I'm not quite able to get some details right... yet," he added as an afterthought, before he stood up from his bed, his spine popping uncomfortably. He put the sketchbook onto his bed and then stepped closer to Baz's.

He slowly reached out with his hands, "Can I?" he asked before touching Baz's shoulders. The latter huffed softly, rolled his eyes for good measure and then nodded in response.

Simon touched him very gently, gentler than Simon had planned to, if he was honest, but this was new to both, and he didn't want to scare Baz away, not now.

Perhaps not ever.

"It's _'may I_ ' by the way, but I couldn't expect an art major to know that," the condescending comment should have been more cutting, but Simon thought it was half hearted at best.

"Not everyone can be a walking lexicon, or whatever the grammar equivalent is." He _barley_ touched Baz's shoulders, his fingers were a featherlight weight atop delicate bone.

He tried to get an impression of Baz's bone structure, but with the thick sweater on top it was hard.

Simon bit his lips in thought, watched as Baz swallowed and then met his gaze again.

"Are you- are you okay with taking off your shirt?"

Simon expected Baz to scoff at him, roll his eyes and then pull the fabric off, before insulting him about something or other.

He didn't expect to see a startled expression appear on his usually so smooth face and then Baz running _off_.

* * *

"He... just ran off? Without saying anything?"

It was one of their weekly lunches again. Penelope had arrived 10 minutes too late, but Simon had already secured them a booth at the back of the diner, a full plate of fries in front of him.

He chewed on one of them, swallowed and then nodded. Penny had looked surprised after he had told her that Baz had said yes to being the model for this assignment but otherwise didn't offer much indication of what she really thought.

"Well I'm not surprised," she said, then she took a long sip of her milkshake and watched Simon intently, her dark eyes drilling right through him.

Curious he furrowed his brows, straightened his round glasses and then leaned forward.

"What are you trying to say?"

Suddenly Penny began to laugh, her hand squeezing the glass in front of her. "You're even _denser_ than he is," was all she said, before taking another sip.

"This is not funny, Penny. He agreed to be my model and he knew what that meant. He never had an issue with running around half naked before!" he almost threw his hands in the air, but thought better of it since that would be too dramatic. Instead he shoved another fry into his mouth and waited for Penny to say something else.

"Oh, Si, there's a difference between running around half naked when he _feels_ like it and being asked by his hot roommate to undress right in front of him."

Simon could almost feel a lightbulb going on next to his head.

* * *

It was two days later when Baz finally talked to him again.

"Are we going to start on your assignment properly now or do you want to waste even more of my precious time."

Simon had the sudden urge to just tell him to _fuck off_ and _leave him alone_ , but the thing was, he was already behind on his assignment.

The first emotion they would have to capture was _calm_.

So, here they were.

In the library, surrounded by dust and the smell of books. Only few students were there, since it was a Saturday and most people went home or partied.

"So... this is the place you feel the most calm?" asked Simon, his voice quiet in order not to disturb other people around them.

"Yes," was all Baz replied, before he took a turn and disappeared between two bookshelves.

Simon followed immediately and then watched as Baz took a seat in a small nook in front of a dusty window. He pulled one of his legs up, rested his chin against the knee and then pulled a thick book from one of the shelves in front of him, his face almost content.

It was quiet between them from then on.

Baz was an immovable object between the shelves, only the occasional turning of a page disrupting the silence around them.

The place was rather crammed, but Simon was okay with sitting on the floor, as he gazed up to Baz's slightly higher perch.

He would draw him from this lower angle since he had a clear view of his face and how oddly... calm he looked for once.

He looked right at home between all those brown colours.

"My... mother," Baz began unprompted, "used to have a library in our house. I spent most of my time there," he said after a few minutes, his voice no longer full of scorn or disinterest but something vulnerable Simon had heard only a few times before.

Baz didn't meet his eyes, nor did he turn another page and Simon couldn't help but ask, "'Used to'? What happened?"

Then Baz turned his head towards the blond, his grey eyes clouded over by... by something. Simon couldn't look away.

He didn't want to.

"She used to have one until she died."

A soft confession, lost between the thousands of pages around them, but Simon tucked away that small information, that small piece of knowledge Baz had parted with willingly and gave Baz a small, if sad smile.

Then Baz looked away again, his eyes focussed on the words in front of him even though he didn't turn a single page after minutes.

Simon's fingers itched to put the picture in front of him onto paper so that is what he did.

The sketch was rough. He only implied how Baz sat there, but he chose to focus on Baz's face again, because that was where the calmness, where the emotions were the easiest to see, especially in his expressive eyes.

His eyebrows were not furrowed for once, his hair was free of any product, since they would head straight to bed afterwards, the faint glowing of the moon lit up only half of his face, but his grey eyes were still striking in the dimness of their surroundings.

He occasionally bit his pink lower lip or brushed careful fingers through his hair, but that was all the did.

Simon knew that he wouldn't be able to capture the peacefulness of the moment properly.

But he was sure that he wouldn't be able to forget about it any time soon.

* * *

The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable for once.

They had stayed in the library almost three hours, before Simon said he was done for the night. Now they were on their way back to their dorm, but Simon also didn't want the night to end.

It was new for them to not bicker all the time and he wanted it to stay that way.

There was also the fact that he couldn't get the conversation he had with Penny out of his head, which he would have to address at some point, but not now.

"Do you... want to go eat something?" he asked quietly instead, in order not to disturb the atmosphere that had settled around them.

It almost looked like Baz wanted to turn him down with quick, harsh words, but then he thought better of it.

Their eyes met briefly and he must have found what he searched for because soon after he trailed behind Simon, as the blond led them towards the diner he regularly ate at with Penny.

The server greeted him with a quick smile and then busied himself with the coffee maker, as the two boys took a seat in one of booths in the back.

Baz gingerly picked up the menu and browsed through the sparse food selection.

"What will you get?" Simon was the first to break the silence, "I think I'll get some waffles and a chocolate milkshake," he continued.

"Really? Something that heavy at 11?" responded Baz, a fleeting smirk on his lips.

"Hey! Classes are starting up on Monday again. So, I have an _entire_ day to wake up from food coma."

The small laugh that escaped Baz startled both. Baz looked almost embarrassed when he clutched a hand over his mouth, but then Simon laughed too and it was okay.

(Baz's laugh was almost as beautiful as the boy as a whole was and Simon longed to hear it again.)

* * *

"You're a _heathen_."

"I'm not!"

"Who puts waffle into a milkshake?"

"That's the **_Snow Special_** , Pitch. You should try it," challenging Simon raised an eyebrow, then dunked another piece of waffle in his milkshake and bit into it with an obscene and very exaggerated moan.

"This is the best thing you'll ever eat," he said after he swallowed, a little bit of syrup in the corner of his mouth. Baz's eyes strayed from the corner of his mouth to his lips and then he quickly looked up again, a faint flush colouring his neck and ears when he noticed Simon's raised eyebrow and small smile.

(Of course Simon noticed. How could he not, when all he thought about was how soft Baz's laugh had sounded and how soft he must feel beneath Simon's lips, since his lunch with Penelope.)

"I'm sure, that that's a lie."

"You've never tried it, so how would you know?" Simon watched as Baz stared at his face a few seconds, his face blank until he groaned.

"Fine! I'll try it, only to wipe that smug smile from your lips."

The piece of waffle Baz cut off was small, hesitant he dunked it into Simon's milkshake until he had some on his fingers and then he quickly shoved the piece into his mouth, liked the milkshake off his fingers, under the watchful supervision of Simon and chewed, a concentrated expression on his face.

The blond watched with bated breath until Baz swallowed.

(And pretended that he didn't watch the way Baz's throat bobbed.)

Then there was a faint, barley there smile on the other boy's lips, but Simon saw it, a triumphant feeling settling into his chest.

"Admit it! You love it."

"...it is okay," the other murmured, then took a sip of his plain water, to prevent a smile from appearing on his lips.

"Man, wait until I show you fries in ice cream."

**Author's Note:**

> me: I'm gonna make them kiss, I'm gonna make them kiss  
> me, while writing: they're gonna be friiiiiends! and they'll boooond 
> 
> anyways, this was a lot of fun to write.
> 
> I'd appreciate feedback!  
> comments/kudos ♡
> 
> find me on tumblr under [j-morevu](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/j-morevu)


End file.
